Subject: Whither Asparagus?

From: [email-masked] (Ren Punk)
Date: Fri, 27 May 94 18:14:17 PST

First off let me say I'm not sure wether this will echo to 
rec.foods.historic or not so if it only gets back to you please post it to 
the list.  

Since Asparagus is in season right now and we are getting 25 lbs. free for 
a feast we are doing The Culinary Guild of Madrone (Seattle) has been 
having this same discussion.  

Apicius, one of the oldest cookbooks, has three recipes for Asparagus.  
#72 is a basic peel and blanche.  #132 is a Figpecker and Pureed Asparagus 
pie.  #133 is an Aparagus Frittata or quiche.  If anyone is interested I 
will post these to the list or privately.   

In book four of Platina is this entry:  

On Preparing Asparagus
There are two kinds of asparagus, the domestic and the wild.  The 
uncultivated variety is more pleasing, which some call chorudam, and 
others libycon.  It is called asparagus because Varro reports it grows in 
harsh places.  There are those who say that the asparagus stalk is called 
lingua caldea, for this green always grows on a stalk.  Boiled asgaragus 
is laid out on a platter and salt oil and vineger are added. There are 
those who sprinkle it with herbs.  Eaten as a first course, they combat 
flatulence in the stomach, they help clear the eyesight and gently soften 
the bowels.  They are good for pains in the chest and spine and for 
intestinal complaints.  There are those who cook them in wine and they are 
even more effective this way.  Nonetheless, if they are used too often, 
they can be rather harmful, for they move the bladder quickly and make it 
sore, which is a dangerous thing.  The root of asparagus, ground up and 
drunk in white wine, gets rid of stones.  Its juice, given in wine, is 
thought to be helpful against poisons. 

The entry that follows this in Platina is for Lupine which you are 
supposed to "dress in the same way as asparagus."

I find no entries for Asparagus in the last six books which are the same 
as the Martino Manuscript and the Epulario.

LaRousse says that Asparagus was known to the Egyptians as well as the 
Romans, but was not cultivated in France until Louis the XIV.

One of the Guild members says there is a stuffed asparagus recipe in David 
Friedman's collection.  Perhaps he can post this recipe.     

Asparagus is certainly and old world food.  The big question I have is 
when did Hollandaise become a topping for this green?  Is Hollandaise a 
pre 1600 food stuff?  Does anyone know?  We are refering to this on our 
guild mailing list as "THE HOLLANDAISE ISSUE".   

David S. McDonald   

---
 * Freddie 1.2.5 * It's not who you are, it's what you eat!

---

From: [email-masked] (Vifian(s))
Date: 3 Jun 1994 03:31:40 GMT

[email-masked] (Ren Punk) writes:

>SNIP<

>David S. McDonald   

Eden Rain, also of the Madrone Culinary Guild, asked me to post to this 
Group about Mayonaise--egg emulsions.

	Could you ask about the origins of Mayonaisse?  And if the
	tecnique of emulsions was used in period.  We were talking about
	it recently & now I'm really curious. 

I personally, am a bit unclear as to what we are talking about re 
emulsions.  According to my OED emulsions also refer almond milk, the 
word being dated to 1612.  (The word Mayonaise dates to 1841-hollandaise & 
bernaise were unlisted)  Egg yolks were used as a thickener (Epulario #49 
makes an interesting sauce)  So I suppose the question is whether eggs 
and oils were used to make the creamy sort of sauces which we associate 
with Hollandaise/mayonaise etc.  I don't know.  Does anybody?

John L. Vifian
[email-masked]

--
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I awake each morning torn between the desire to save the world or to 
savor it.  This makes the day hard to plan.

---

From: [email-masked] (John E. Taylor III)
Date: Fri, 3 Jun 1994 13:16:25 -0400

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Vifian(s))

> with Hollandaise/mayonaise etc.  I don't know.  Does anybody?

I think Eden may have been using "emulsion" in its technical sense: a
relatively non-separating oil-water mixture.  The emulsifier in hollandaise
sauce is, of course, the lecithin in the egg yolk.  I don't know when the
emulsifying property of egg yolks was discovered, but I'd expect _very_
early on.  Once you discover that, you've got both hollandaise and
mayonaisse by minor variations of technique and recipe.

--
John Taylor    (W3ZID)     |  "The opinions expressed are those of the
[email-masked] |   writer and not of Rohm and Haas Company."

---

From: [email-masked] (Jody C. Patilla)
Date: 3 Jun 1994 15:45:41 -0400

In article <[email-masked]>,
Vifian(s) <[email-masked]> wrote:
>(The word Mayonaise dates to 1841-hollandaise & 

	THese types of sauces are very old (how old, I am still looking
through all these books here...). Egg and oil based sauces have been 
made in Provence and Catalonia for centuries, and form an important basis
of the cuisine. In Provence, aioli, the garlic mayonnaise, is traditionally
made by pounding the garlic in a mortar and gradually adding the egg and
oil. A rouille is an aioli which has had some fish broth and red pepper
added - it is eaten with seafood soups and stews. The Catalan all-i-oli
is made without eggs - the garlic is pounded in a mortar with salt, then oil
is added drop by drop. If the sauce breaks, the cook adds an egg yolk
and starts over.

	I'm still looking and if I find anything else, I'll post it but
I'd suggest that Provence is the place to look for the origins of
mayonnaise.

-- 

jcpatilla					[email-masked]
Do your otters dance the Morris? Do they shake their bells and bows?
Do they love that fiddle music? Do they leap and kick their toes?